EU Lifts the Hood
On Chinese Autos

Questions on Safety Abound
As China Looks to Become
A Major Player in the West

By

Stephen Power Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Updated Oct. 7, 2005 12:01 a.m. ET

FRANKFURT -- China's fledgling effort to sell cars to the West is beginning to draw scrutiny in Europe regarding the safety of the country's exports.

A top European Commission regulator yesterday said he plans to look into whether Chinese automobiles have been able to circumvent European Union safety standards by getting national regulators' approval for small batches of vehicles. The comments by Commission Vice President Guenter Verheugen during a European Parliament hearing are significant because they point to what some...